Buhari Heading To China With 9 Ministers, 4 Governors And 4 Senators

Buhari Visits China With 20 Officials

President Muhammadu Buhari would be travelling today to China with nine ministers, four All Progressives Congress (APC) state governors and four senators.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said the president would be leaving for China to participate in the 7th summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled to hold from September 3 to 4 in Beijing.

He explained that Buhari’s first engagement in Beijing would be an interactive session with the Nigerian community in China, Naija News recalls.

Before the FOCAC Summit formal opening, he said the president in his capacity as current chair of ECOWAS, would deliver remarks at the high-level dialogue between Chinese and African leaders, business representatives and African entrepreneurs.

He added that the Nigerian president is scheduled to join President Jinping and other African leaders for the opening and round table sessions of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit with the theme “Towards an even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.

“After the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss infrastructure financing for strategic projects in Nigeria and the upgrading of Nigeria-China relations “from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership,” the statement read

“The President will also use the occasion of his audience with the Chinese leadership to assess the progress made so far in Chinese interventions in Nigeria’s key priority infrastructure projects, particularly on-going projects in the railway and power sectors.

“It is noteworthy that since the last FOCAC VI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2015 – the first attended by the Nigerian leader – and his successful State visit to China in April 2016, the current administration has pushed forward practical cooperation with China in the areas of infrastructure construction, trade, investments, finance, power, agriculture, education cooperation, among others.”

Also on the president’s entourage are the governors of Bauchi, Lagos, Jigawa and Imo states respectively.

Other senators on the entourage are Abdullahi Adamu, George Akume and Aliyu Wamakko representing Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto states respectively.

Also accompanying the president are nine ministers Geoffrey Onyeama (foreign affairs), Rotimi Amaechi (transportation), Babatunde Fashola (power, works and housing), Muhammad Bello (FCT), Okechukwu Enelamah )industry, trade and investment), Udoma Udo Udoma, (budget and national planning), Suleiman Adamu (water resources), Ibe Kachikwu (state, petroleum resources), and Hadi Sirika (state for aviation).

Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar; and the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.